Gezicht op een bospad met sneeuw in New England before 1890

This landscape print of a snow-covered New England path, shows us the potential of printmaking to produce images and communicate on a mass scale. Here, we see the image rendered through a process of engraving or etching, involving tools to carve lines into a metal plate, which is then inked and pressed onto paper. What is compelling is the democratizing effect of printmaking. While painting or sculpture remained singular works, exclusive to those who could afford them, prints could be produced and disseminated widely. This image, with its depiction of a common winter scene, speaks to the daily lives of people, particularly in its accessibility. The labor involved in creating the printing plate, the choice of a pastoral scene, and the image's inherent reproducibility all reflect a shift in the art world. Printmaking allowed for art to reflect and reach a broader audience, resonating with the emerging middle classes and their everyday experiences.